


Our Own Kingdom

by rainingnoodles



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternative Universe - Kingdom, BL, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Shounen-ai, Slice of Life, will introduce more characters hehe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:40:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28360299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainingnoodles/pseuds/rainingnoodles
Summary: A kingdom AU with the pairing YakuLev. Yaku, who was born a failure as noble, sets off to nowhere to run away from his past self. Lev, a person who came from the class lower than peasants, sets off on an ambitious journey of becoming a famous traveler. The two of them cross paths and share something that they never had before.  In this story, Yaku is 17 and Lev is 16.
Relationships: Haiba Lev/Yaku Morisuke
Kudos: 4
Collections: YakuLev Fics, yakulev





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> And this whole kingdom au is something I got inspired from Black Clover. This might sound cheesy, but before you start reading, I wanna thank you for choosing to read this ahaha. I put a lot of thought into making this and wrote this during my class breaks and at midnight because I can’t wait to post it hehe. That’s why I really wanna say thank you. It really makes my day to know that someone is reading the work that I put a lot of time and effort into. This is also my first fanfic that I've ever written, so there's a lot of parts that I'm lacking in. Anyways, I’ll stop with the stalling so that you can read in peace haha. Hope you enjoy reading!:)

**Chapter 1: Yaku Morisuke**

In the olden times, there was a powerful kingdom that was feared and isolated by the others. The Rinsuke Kingdom, named after the king Yen Rinsuke, who established the kingdom to be enriched with prosperity. The population in the kingdom were divided into a classes depending on their wealth, education, and heritage. On the top of the classes is the king and the royal family or families.

The king has nearly absolutely power over the kingdom and the royal families are feared and looked up to by the other people. Right under the royalties live the nobles. The nobles live in the central part of the kingdom where it is told to be like the Paris of the kingdom. Below the nobles are the common class, people who have enough money to feed themselves, pay for their educations, and buy houses and land. Then, there are peasants and Reapers.

Peasants worked in fields or as laborers for other people and earn just enough money to feed their families. Reapers are the lowest of the ranks. They are mostly refugees or people who have mixed blood with the races that are despised by the people of the Rinsuke kingdom. Reapers are forced to do labor and sometimes without even paid. If they are lucky, they will find a kind noble or common family who will give them jobs, food, and shelter.

The Morisuke family was an eminent noble family whom were most well-known for their unmatched wisdom and fine aging. They were one of the few noble families who had direct relations with the royalties. Kambe Morisuke was the most charming and successful descendent of the Morisuke family. He was wedded to a beautiful woman from another noble family and gave birth to a son.

Unfortunately, their son, Yaku Morisuke, was someone who did not reach the expectations of being a young, handsome and noble man. The other Morisuke family members deprecated the young man. It was a given that Yaku brought shame to the Morisuke family. Kambe built a villa in the mountains for Yaku and his mom. He threatened them to stay away from the rest of the family and to not speak of a word about their last names.

A few years after, news spread about Kambe having a handsome, young son. Yaku was already near to graduating school by that time. When he heard about the news, he did not let it get to his mother. But it was inevitable, as just a few days after, his mom had found out. She caused a hectic mess in their house and was on the verge of being sane. His mom screamed at him and told him that it was all his fault she had to live that way as she yanked him by his collar. Yaku had a look on his face that was a mixture of sadness, disgust, and shame. He had never heard his mom say something like that. Though, he could not resent her either since it was the truth he had been avoiding all those years.

Being able to fit in as a noble was not as easy as other people thought. To become an heir of a noble family meant to be tall, muscular, brave, handsome, and talented. The nobles were conceited and they tried to live a lifestyle of being “perfect, good-looking, extroverted and talented”. Being a noble basically meant to be someone who makes others feel inferior or that was how the other people felt about them. That was the reason nobles were resented.

Though there were many people who disliked nobles, there were some who were trying so hard to live like one. Nobles acted arrogantly and they did not accept people who were “imperfect”, people who were from different races, and people who were not hetero. Yaku had been mocked and judged many times for having a short height and a pretty face that made him “unmanly” or “gay”. He could act like those comments or opinions did not affect him but he could not ignore them for the rest of his life. After hearing the painful words right out of his mother’s lips, he did not see any means to continue living. Yaku emptied his school leather satchel and packed two sets of plain clothes and pants, a hat, a notebook and pen, and the money he saved up. Ready to set off on his own, he said his final goodbye to his one and only friend, his horse Bell. Before leaving, he had cleared all his belonging and thrown them into the well at the backside of the villa. He wanted to erase any of traces or evidence of his existence of his old life, but he left a note for his mom just in case if she had tried to find him.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Haibas**

“Hey! Stop that!”

“Haha I got you for last time! _Blerr!_ ”

Lev stuck his tongue out at his sister. Alisa was soaked in water from the hose that was in Lev’s hands. Miss Haiba came out of the house with her hands on her hips, “Lev Haiba! Don’t waste Mr Kozume’s water and do your work properly!”

“Yes-yes mom!”

Lev Haiba was a young man who was a Reaper that lived in the outskirts of the Rinsuke Kingdom. Lev was only 3 years old when his family came into the Rinsuke Kingdom as refugees. He had never seen or met his father before and his mom had never spoke about him either. He grew up in a small barnyard that smelt like wet wheat and horse manure. His mom worked as the housekeeper the Kozumes, who were nobles who liked to live in solitude. As Lev and Alisa grew up, the Haiba family continued to work for the Kozume family. The Kozumes let them live in their barnyard and also let Lev and Alisa go to school in a nearby monastery. Lev and Alisa were unusually good looking and intelligent for Reapers. They had many people who fancied them and even had a few nobles approaching them. Though, Lev was too dull-witted to notice that he had all the qualities of being a young noble man, except that he wasn’t rich. He was a cheery person who welcomed anyone and did not feel any hatred or envy towards the nobles or anyone. His dream was to make friends with all the people in the world; a childish, yet optimistic dream.

Not only was Lev handsome and smart, he had a carefree personality that made people feel comfortable around him. He was friends with everyone in the monastery, even with some of the nobles’ children who came from time to time. Even though Lev was a carefree person, he was also very diligent with his work. He had an unchanging ambition of becoming a famous traveler and printing out travelogue books. He hoped that he would be able to make more friends from different kingdoms, races, classes, etc. Asides from that, Lev was also very useful for help in the Kozumes’ house or anywhere. He was taller than average and had long, slender arms and legs. He had friends and acquaintances wherever he went. To Lev, the small town felt like a huge house that he lived in. Lev was at the age where he almost graduated school. As the day of graduation at “school” at the monastery grew nearer, he had many girls coming to give him gifts and ask him out for dates. Lev had never experienced dating or “love”. He read it in nearly every book and believed that it was a cliché. With having little knowledge and experience, he had no other choices than rejecting all the confessions.

The day Lev graduated, he had saved up enough money to buy a horse. He had never changed his intention of setting off on a journey with his own horse once he graduated. His mom had opposed his idea at first. As always, she was full of worries, especially when it came to her two only children. It was dawn after the day of Lev’s graduation. Miss Haiba seemed like she was about to pass out. Lev gave a huge hug for his mom and his sister. He packed only a few useful supplies in his bag --two potato sacks that he sewed together so that the supplies wouldn’t fall off. Mr Kozume offered him a wooden spile and a metal water flask. Lev was surprised at first. Then, he became so elated that he glomped Mr Kozume without thinking twice and the two of them fell onto the ground. Miss Haiba panicked and apologized for Lev’s behavior. To their surprise, Mr Kozume blushed and laughed it off to cover up his shyness. Lev got more supplies than he needed and said final goodbyes to his family and the Kozumes.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Different Lives**

It was already dark by the time Yaku was out of the nobles’ region. He was in a small neighborhood with minka houses all aligned adjacent to each other with leaving no spaces between each house. This was a new view he saw. All the houses he had seen before were two story houses with gardens and wide back yards. Yaku walked in the neighborhood, admiring the new style of houses and the faint shadows of the residents inside the houses. As expected, there were no lamp posts in the neighborhood. As Yaku was taking a stroll, he spotted an old lady holding a lantern and stepping out of a small, crooked one-story minka house. The old lady was wearing a down coat and it seemed like she was trembling. It was still months away from winter, but the nights were chilly. Yaku inhaled and exhaled a small fog into the air. He had not even realized how much the temperature had dropped. He looked up front and saw the old lady collapsed on the floor out of the blue. Yaku stood there staring for a second, then he rushed over to her side. He called her to wake her up but she laid with her eyes closed. He then laid his hand on her forehead and felt her skin burning up.

Unfortunately, Yaku was in a foreign place that he did not know a thing about. He knocked on the door of the old lady’s house, hoping that someone would come out and help her. But no one came. He then knocked on the door of the house that was next to hers. He heard footsteps descending down the stairs and walking towards the door. Then, _click_ , the person unlatched the door lock and opened the door. A man in his late-twenties appeared and it seemed like Yaku had interrupted his sleep. The man was startled to see an unfamiliar face at his door with his 80-year-old neighbor lying on the ground in the middle of the night. Yaku noticed his misunderstanding and spoke up before any wilder assumptions were made. He introduced himself as a traveler and explained the situation. Apparently, the old lady was a mother of a gambler, and she had to pay off her son’s debts. She was going out to meet with one of the loan sharks who had been loaning her the money she needed for her son and did not even realize that she was catching a cold. The man turned out to be a kind person and he let Yaku stay at his house for the night while taking care of the old lady.

Before Yaku went to sleep, he took out his book and started scribbling. He did not have much eventful moments that day and only wrote a brief summary of the day. He thought about the minka houses and the neighborhood. He was quite fond of seeing new things. As Yaku sketched a picture of the neighborhood, the man passed by to get some water.

He started a small chat with Yaku, “You used to be an artist?”

“No, it’s just a small hobby of mine.”

“It looks nice for a drawing just for a hobby.”

Yaku rarely received compliments so he was startled. He stared at the man for a while trying to think of what to respond. He realized that he was staring for too long and looked up, “Thanks.”

Yaku looked away and continued sketching. He felt the man staring at him, no, he was staring at his artwork. Yaku realized the man must have had something to say. He paused and asked, “Um, do you draw?”

The man gave a soft chuckle and leaned onto the wooden wall, “I wanted to become an architecture. Drawing buildings landscapes were really a huge part of my life. But I guess that was just a pipe dream. How could a peasant have such a job, right? My mom was right about that.”

He sighed. Yaku felt like he learned something new. He felt relieved in a way because he wasn’t the only person whose life wasn't perfect. Yaku smiled at the man and told him, “It’s not too late for that. No matter what the others say, you should just do what you enjoy.

The man smiled at Yaku’s words for a moment and wished him a good night. The soft stair steps slowly quieted down into complete silence except for some cricket noises. Yaku laid on the futon and stared at the ceiling as he thought about his life. Then, he slowly drifted into a long sleep.

Yaku felt something shining onto his eyelids. He opened his eyes and looked around the unfamiliar place. Then, he realized that he had spent the night at someone else’s house. He walked into the kitchen and saw a bowl of rice with egg rolls. There was a note beside the bowl.

It said, “THANK YOU FOR YOUR ADVICE YESTERDAY. FEEL FREE TO WASH UP AND EAT BREAKFAST. DON’T FORGET TO LOCK THE DOOR WHEN YOU LEAVE, THERE IS A KEY UNDER THE WELCOME MATTRESS.”

Yaku scratched his head, he didn't remember giving any valuable advices. He washed up and changed into one of the two sets of spare clothes that he had. Yaku felt good eating a nice breakfast after skipping two meals the day before. And again he set off to explore more new places. _Today feels more like a fresh start_ , Yaku thought. The small street was bustling with the townspeople. It was nice to see a normal human’s lifestyle. Yaku’s goal that day was to find a temporary job or at least something that could help him earn money. Even though he had a lot of money left, it would not last forever. He looked around and asked for jobs but the town was not rich enough to have temporary jobs. The only jobs that earned quick money were the ones that included carrying heavy cargo. Yaku finally found a job by sunset. It was being a waiter and a dish washer at a small restaurant. It was a pretty busy restaurant that needed some hands. He had to work there for a month and he would earn some money. They gave him a place to stay. It was a small and smelly room that was shared by nearly all of the workers in the restaurant.

Working in the restaurant was not as easy as Yaku had thought. He had to be swift and careful at the same time. There were many customers who complained or who tried to dupe them and get a free meal. Yaku liked playing sports when he was in school. He was quick so he was always able to catch the ball right where he wanted. He thought about how he had been living such a luxurious life back then compared to how the commoners and peasants work just to earn a few amount of cash. After working and running around all day, Yaku went straight to sleep. There were no futons, only an old rug and his bag as a pillow.

It had been a few weeks since Yaku had been working in the restaurant. The owner was exceptionally pleased by his swiftness and preciseness. Yaku spent all day working and was always the first to go to sleep. He did not even have the chance to get to know any of his co-workers. Finally, it was only a day before the payday. The restaurant had even more customers than before. Yaku decided that it was the last day he had to work there and put all his efforts into it. When the restaurant finally closed, he was out like a light. The next day, Yaku and the rest of the workers were paid. The owner gave a few more pocket moneys to Yaku to convince him to work just one more month. However, he had to decline it politely. On his way to his next journey, Yaku took out his book which had not been touched for a whole month, or so he thought. The page he had written about his first day was rusted and his pen and the savings were missing. Yaku realized that some of his co-workers had sneaked through his bag while he was asleep. He was relieved that the money left was not too big and that at least his clothes were still there. The pen was a mechanical pen, which was pretty hard to get unless you were a noble or if you had trading partners from other countries and kingdoms. It wasn’t too valuable for Yaku, but it was more convenient than ink pens. Yaku decided to forget about it and continued to his next destination which was the east side of the kingdom where there was the Hajime Harbor, the famous trading place where the common regions, the noble regions, and the peasants’ regions meet.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Miyagi Temple**

Traveling was not as easy as Lev had thought about. It had only been a few hours since he left home, and yet nothing had gone according to his plan. Lev thought that he had laid out his plan thoroughly, but why was it all not going the way he had expected. His first destination was to go to the Miyagi Temple. He knew of many information about it. It was a place that was mentioned in his favorite novel, which he brought along with him. The Miyagi Temple was usually crowded with people and they were well-known for their accurate Omikuji – fortune telling paper strips. Lev was curious of many things that could happen to him in the future. He wanted to see if he would have good luck for his career or if he would get any unfortunate events that he could possibly avoid. So much for good luck, Lev was in a dilemma at the moment. He could catch a train to the temple and get there by noon, but he would have to spend most of his money to leave his horse at the horse shelter. The other option was to ride his horse to get to the temple, that way, he would arrive there by midnight and not have to travel back to take his horse or use up most of his money. After a short while of contemplating, Lev decided to travel there by his horse. He decided that he couldn’t spend his savings on such small matters.

When the sky had turned jet black, Lev finally saw some light. He found a small town and decided to take a night break there. There were only a few houses in the town and it seemed like there was a long market. There were rows of food stalls that were covered in cloth. The houses were all one story houses which were scattered. Lev noticed a small light in one corner. It was a small food stall and there was a young lady in her early-twenties. It looked like she was closing the shop. Lev walked over to the food stall, hoping he could ask for help. The lady noticed the tall and handsome young man. She hurried to him and asked if he needed something. Her cheeks were noticeably light pink in the chilly night. Lev introduced himself and asked if he could find a place to stay the night at a place where he could also keep his horse. The lady answered that she would be glad to help him.

Lev helped her close the food stall and cover it in a wide white cloth. He carried the wooden crates of sweet potatoes and followed the young lady. Her house was a one story minka house. Once they entered the house, there was a narrow hallway with a spacious room at the end. The room seemed to be the kitchen and living room of the house. There was a small room on the left side of the hallway and another smaller room on the right. The lady brought two plates of boiled sweet potatoes to the living room. She placed one plate on one side of the wooden floor table and placed another on her side. Lev was starving from only having one onigiri for a whole day’s meal. He thanked her and filled himself with one dry sweet potato and gave the other one to his horse. The young lady laid a futon for Lev in the living room and went into the room on the left side of the hallway. Lev could finally sleep in peace. The whole day had been a chaos for him that he was grateful to find such a generous person who gave him food and shelter. Due to the exhaustion, Lev went out like a light as soon as he hit the pillow.

“ _Pspspsp._ ”

Lev opened his eyelids and found the young lady trying to wake him up. He sat up and realized that he must have been making her late to work. Lev bowed at the lady and asked if he could help her in any way before he left. The lady suggested that he wash himself up before leaving. Lev’s cheeks went bright red; he had not realized that he smelled of sweat. A few minutes later, Lev was in the market of food stalls where there were a few people setting up their stalls. It was still dawn and the sky was pink and orange. Lev helped the lady load bags and crates of sweet potatoes in her food stall. The lady expressed her gratitude and was unusually bashful. She wished Lev good luck as he left. Before leaving the town, Lev took a glance behind to see four or five other ladies crowding at the small food stall. He smiled and continued his journey to the Miyagi Temple.

Even though it was still early in the morning, there were a few people and monks at the Miyagi Temple. The temple smelt of smoke from the prayer sticks and faint smell of the cherry blossoms. Lev observed the people who were praying and the people who were drawing the paper strips. The way the people prayed at the temple was different from the way he prayed in the monastery. Lev found a woman in about her mid-40s at the counter where they sold praying sticks. Lev walked up to the counter.

“Morning, auntie. May I buy a pack of praying sticks?”

The woman gave him a look. It seemed like Lev had offended her but Lev did not notice it. She placed a pack of praying sticks onto the counter.

“That’ll be 80(in Japanese currency).”

Lev bought the pack of praying sticks and started his prayers. It took a while for him to pray at every shrine in the temple. Then, he picked a paper strip. He could only read “twisted luck” on the paper strip. The woman at the counter cleared her throat. She exclaimed, “I can read it for you.” Lev handed the paper strip to the lady. She put on a pair of spectacles and scanned through the paper strip. She flinched at one point. When he saw her flinch, Lev’s head started stirring all kinds of thoughts, part of him was scared of all the things that could happen to him and the other part of him thought that maybe it was because he would become a successful writer that was world-wide famous. The lady cleared her throat again. She said grumpily, “I’m only reading it once so listen carefully.”

Lev took out his notebook, ready to write.

“Twisted Luck. You will face hardships but help will come your way. You will discover new things (humans, objects, life experiences, etc.). Your wishes and needs will be met but only with a price. Make careful choices. Prices are life or death or loss of a priceless treasure.”

When Lev heard the last line, he felt like a hand was squeezing his heart. His thoughts ran wild. _What are my wishes and needs? Exactly what choices do I have to choose carefully? Was it like yesterday? What is a priceless treasure? What will I lose? Will I die? If I die, then how and when will I die?_

_BAM!_

The lady at the counter seemed irritated for some reasons. She gave the paper strip back to Lev, “Don’t think too much about it, young man. It will only make your brain will explode.”

Lev felt unsure. He wanted to pick another paper strip to make sure of his luck, but that would only anger the lady. He decided to keep the thought for another time. What was more important was that he had to get to his next destination before night, the Hajime Harbor.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Friends**

Everywhere he went, Yaku saw people scurrying everywhere with loads of work in their hands. This was another new sight for him. Back in the land of the nobles, everyone seemed to have idle lives. Most women were either shopping, drinking tea with their friends, or taking care of their children. All grown men were required to work, but it seemed like they earned loads of money for just going to gathering and doing little social activities. Yaku felt like this was what a real person’s life really looked like. He learned a thing or two while working his butt off for a whole month just to earn a few sum of money.

Yaku had expected to arrive to the Hajime Harbor by evening, but it was way farther than he had expected. The town he arrived in did not seem like a place where people would be willing to let a stranger sleep in their house. The townspeople were all rushing around that no one had even noticed Yaku. In the crowded street, Yaku noticed a small shop that no one entered. He thought that he might be able to find someone there to help him. When he entered the shop, he could see cracks on the wooden walls and there were all types of accessories, clothes, and random objects. There was a huge cat clock on the left side of the shop and many antiques were lined up on shelves and tables. In the right corner of the shop, there was a small wooden counter with an old man behind it. He was about in his seventies. He had white hair and had a brown tobacco pipe in his mouth. On the small counter laid nothing but a rusted waving cat figurine which was waving its left paw front and back. Yaku went to the counter, but the man did not act any differently. Yaku greeted, “Good evening, sir.” The man flinched when he heard Yaku’s voice and asked him what he could help him with. The man’s gaze did not reach Yaku’s eyes, but there was only a dim light in the shop so it was not noticeable. Yaku thought that the man was waiting for him to buy something. He did not want to spend too much money so he picked up a small item. It was a bronze locket with floral patterns carved onto it. He stared at the carvings and admired them, slowly rubbing his thumb on the details, feeling the dents and details.

“THIEEEF!”, a feminine voice shrieked. Yaku looked behind and saw a little girl pointing at him. He panicked and the locket slipped off his hands. The girl kept shouting for help. Yaku wanted to escape from the situation and ran out of the shop. Unfortunately, the little girl had attracted many people’s attentions. There were four or five brawny men who chased after Yaku. Yaku ran aimlessly facing forward and tripped on a metal can. The men seized him and forced his bag off him. They opened his bag. Yaku kicked aimlessly and cried out several times that he wasn’t a thief. They pulled out his parcel of money that he earned and used it to “prove” him guilty. Yaku was stressed from being falsely accused and raised his weak voice which was muffled with tears of distress. The men were peasants who were paid a meager wage for labor work. They seemed to find it as an opportunity to take the money for themselves. They beat up the small helpless young man and thrashed his belongings onto the ground.

The world became a blur and the voices of people and other noises became indistinct. Every limb of Yaku’s body was aching and it felt like his muscles were slowly tearing apart. The noises slowly faded and the pain started to grow numb. Just like that, the world turned into a pitch black void.

There was a stinging feeling on Yaku’s right hand that caused him to flinch. Yaku wasn’t fully conscious yet, but he could hear someone talking. Talking to him. It was a masculine voice. He could feel his back on a soft mattress. He felt warm and comfortable, a feeling he had not had in a long time. The presence on his right shifted and disappeared. For some reasons, Yaku wanted it to come back and stay by his side. He felt like a little kid who was sick in bed, desperate in need of care. He felt a déjà vu; with the feeling of being abandoned. All the memories from his pre-teen years flashed through his mind. The traumatic memories stirred something inside Yaku that almost made him feel like puking. Just when he was in the middle of his thoughts, a glaring light radiated on his eyelids. That brought Yaku back to his senses. His eyes opened but they were squinting due to the bright light.

“Is it too bright?”

 _Right, I almost forgot_ , Yaku thought. He wasn’t alone. Yaku looked over to his right side to get a glimpse of the person. To his surprise, he did not look like what he had expected. The person seemed like a young adult. He had a lean body and looked exceptionally tall. He had extensive arms and legs too. His skin was nearly pale and his hair was greyish white which was parted from the middle. He had cat-like slanted green eyes, thin eyebrows and a straight nose bridge. He was wearing a flannel jacket with long plaid pants. Yaku was confounded. He thought he had only traveled within the kingdom. He had never seen or met anyone who looked nearly alike to the person he was looking at. Yaku tried to speak, but his voice did not come out. He mouthed, _what’s your name?_

“My name is Lev, Lev Haiba. What’s your name?”

Yaku tried to move his lips slowly, shaping the words with his lips: _Yaa-kuu_.

“Racoon?”

Yaku mouthed his name but slower this time.

“Yacoo? Yaku?”

Yaku nodded. His energy was already drained and his head flopped onto the mattress. Then, he realized what had happened the day before. He had not consumed anything for an entire day and even worse, he was beaten up. He looked around to search for his bag. On the floor by his left foot was his bag which was covered in dirt and shoe prints. He tried to talk again but only a croak came out. His voice sounded like a 90 years old grandpa. Lev handed him a metal flask. Yaku managed a subtle smile as a thank you and took the flask. Yaku’s thirst took over and he emptied the bottle. The cold water satisfied his dry throat. He could finally speak. He asked Lev what had happened while he was out.

After a few hours, Yaku learned a lot about Lev. First, he noticed that Lev was a talkative person. He was also very expressive and spoke whatever was on his mind. He was so different from Yaku. Yaku also found out that Lev had saved his life, he couldn’t imagine how he could have ended up if it weren’t for Lev.

“Thanks, Lev. I owe you for saving my life.”

“No, you don’t. We’re friends and friends help each other.”

At the word “friend”, Yaku’s mind went blank. He had never had a friend before, even if he tried, no one wanted to be his friend. He stood staring at Lev and wondered what he wanted from him. They were complete strangers and yet he saved his life and even treated his wounds. What was his objective to approach him-

“Goodnight, Yaku-san. Let’s travel together tomorrow!”, Lev cut him off from his train of thoughts. He closed the light and the room went dark except for a small ray of light from the full moon outside the window.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Hajime Harbor**

“Ughhh!”

Lev groaned.

“ _Levv, wake up!_ ”

Yaku whispered. He had been trying to wake Lev up for about the past 20 minutes. After tossing and turning for a few more minutes, Lev bolted up. He sat up so suddenly that his head hit Yaku’s face. Just within a few seconds, blood streamed out of Yaku’s nostril. Lev was startled to see blood and started saying sorry a million times. Lev’s metal flask was still cold from being in the open night air. He used it to stop Yaku’s nosebleed. After that was solved, Yaku and Lev left the small guesthouse.

It was about a month away from summer, but the heat was already high. Lev wore a short-sleeved, beige linen shirt with khaki shorts he found from a donation drop box. Yaku did not have any shirts to wear since his spare shirts were covered in dirt. He also didn't let Lev borrow him any either since he didn’t want to impose on Lev even more.

Lev was cheerier than usual. He was like a kid who got his dream present on his birthday. Somehow, travelling with someone else made him feel safe. Both of them were heading to the Hajime Harbor. Two people riding on a bare horseback was not very comfortable. Even though Yaku did not weight a lot, the weight of the two of them impacted the horse’s speed. It wasn’t very favorable for Yaku either. He had no choice but to wrap his arms tightly around Lev’s waist. Yaku felt his heart jump every time the horse took a small leap. Lev seemed unfazed by it. In fact, he was even enjoying. Lev was full of energy, or maybe too much. He screamed of laughter every time the horse took a wide leap and flailed his hands in the air. It made Yaku worry that they might fall off. Lev was definitely not an easy person to deal with.

The ride to the Hajime Harbor was jumbled, but they managed to make it there by noon. The harbor was bustling with many people; merchants, nobles, commoners, and peasants. It was known as a place of “Equality” in the kingdom. It did not actually mean what it sounded like. It only meant that the harbor was the only place where people of all classes worked together. Asides from everyone else, the nobles and the foreign merchants were the only ones who were dressed neatly and fashionably. There were people loading on and off cargos from the ships at the docks. On the land were many carriages, horses, and people. On the west side of the coast, there were many modern shops and buildings. Yaku spotted a shop that sold ink pens and mechanical pens. He was just about to walk towards the shop when Lev grabbed Yaku’s arm. He took them to a small wooden shed at the far corner of the rows of shops.

“ _Yaku-saan_ , we have to try this!”, Lev exclaimed enthusiastically.

Inside the small shed was a wet plate camera. It was about Yaku’s height. Lev had never seen cameras before. He knew what they looked like from what he read about them but seeing one in real life thrilled him. A man popped up from under a black piece of cloth. He asked Lev and Yaku to stand at a certain spot. Before Yaku even knew it, the camera flashed a bright white light which blinded his eyes. Lev and Yaku both rubbed their eyes. After a few minutes, the man handed them a roll of film. There were three black and white pictures of Yaku and Lev on the roll of film. The man charged them money for the photos. The cost was nearly all of what was left in Lev’s bag. At the moment, Lev only cared about the piece of film. He handed the money over inattentively and Yaku had to count the money that was earned back.

The pictures were physical representations of their memories for the present. That was enough to make Lev the happiest person in the world. While Lev was celebrating in his little world, Yaku went off somewhere else. Yaku was trying to find a pawn shop. All the shops were built nearly the same style so it was hard to see which shop sold what. He finally found a pawn shop that was behind a textiles shop. Yaku reached the bottom of his leather bag where he sewed a small patch of cloth. He did not know if it was worth it, but again he wanted to jot down every single details of the new worlds that he had seen. Yaku tore the patch of cloth open and took out a small golden ring with an amethyst in the middle. It was his parents’ marriage ring. It used to be a priceless item for Yaku, but now it seemed like something that only lived in the past. He entered the pawn shop and set the ring on the counter. The man at the counter made an expression as if he had seen a huge heap of treasures. He used a monocular magnifying glass and examined every details of the ring. The man then looked at Yaku with a suspicious look. It was common sense that a person in wretched clothes own something so valuable was not plausible. 

Despite his strong suspicion, the man had an expression on his face that he wouldn’t let the chance go. He assumed that Yaku was knew little of the worth of gemstones. He decided to hoodwink Yaku so that he could possess such a valuable gem with a small price. Yaku noticed the look on the man’s face. He claimed that he would not accept it if it was less than half a grand (in usd). The man responded that he would not be able to offer that amount of money and acted uninterested. Yaku picked up the ring to see if the man really meant it. The man spoke instantly, “I can give it for 480 if you’re selling it permanently.” 

“How about 490?”

“482.”

“489.”

“485.”

“488.”

A few moments later, their bargain ended. Both of them finally settled on 487. The man had a sour face as he handed the money over. Yaku felt contented with the stack of money in his hands. He thought that he could finally help Lev and pay him back.

_Lev. LEV?!_

Yaku dashed out of the pawn shop and headed to the shed, but Lev was no longer there. He knew he was in big trouble. The harbor was still crowded with people. Yaku ran from shop to shop, asking if they had seen someone like Lev.

_Of course, no one would know. Why did I even expect someone to give me an answer?_

Just when his mind was going through all of the disastrous possibilities, he heard a familiar voice.

“Yaku-saaan!”

Lev’s tall height made him stand out in the middle of the crowd. Yaku felted a huge weight off of his heart. He and Lev were together again… but there was something that felt empty. Yaku noticed, “Lev, where’s your horse?”

“My horse? Behind me—Ehhh?! Horse! My horse! Where did it go?!”

There were many horses everywhere so it was nearly impossible to find Lev’s horse. As expected, Lev started panicking. His eyes darted from one place to another. He even started calling for his horse, which was just “horse”. Yaku felt embarrassed with all the people staring at him and Lev. They attempted to search for Lev’s horse for the next hour, but it was futile. It was already sunset before they even knew it. Lev was sulking from the disappearance of his horse. Lev had his head down and mumbled, “I saved up so much money all these years just to buy that horse. My moneeyy. My horrse. I really wanted one and lost it just when I got one…”

Yaku felt awkward, he had no idea how to make Lev feel better. He had never consoled anyone before either, expect for his horse though, but that was different from a human. He hadn’t even told Lev about his trip to the pawnshop. Yaku hunted around to find anything that could make Lev feel better. He spotted a restaurant where they sold steamed bun. He took Lev by his arm and dragged him to the store. He bought four steamed pork buns packed in a paper bag. He took one out and stuffed it in Lev’s mouth. Yaku wasn’t good with consoling people but the steamed bun seemed to improve Lev’s mood. Lev took a bite and a smile spread across his face. He looked at Yaku with his mouth full, “Eshis esh eewisheeus. Yoww warr eee best, yraaku-saan!”

Yaku was expecting Lev to ask him about the money. He had not expected that. Yaku’s face flushed. He wasn’t used to being constantly complimented. He thought that maybe he could really consider Lev as his friend. Then again, he thought that maybe Lev gave compliments to everyone he knew. That thought made him feel selfish.

_Why would I be the only person Lev compliments? I’m not even his friend._

“Yaku-saan, are you not eating?”

“Huh? Oh, yes I am gonna eat it.”

Despite skipping two meals, Yaku had no appetites. He nibbled on the steamed bun as he walked along the streets with Lev. They were walking towards a guest house which was a white barn that stretched out to about three to four houses’ space. Along the way, he filled in Lev about the pawnshop, the money, and how he got the ring. The more Yaku spoke, the more Lev’s face filled with bewilderment. Fortunately, they reached the guest house before Lev’s head short circuited. The day ended with the two of them finally resting peacefully.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Wild**

The harbor had a relaxing ambience in the morning. There were ships docking and a few people loading off cargoes. Birds’ chirping and water lapping were faintly heard. The rattling of carriages and clip-clops of horses filled the road. Lev stretched his armed and yawned drowsily. He was still half-awake. The relaxing noises caused a sensation in his brain that made him even drowsier. They took a stop at a few shops before leaving. Yaku bought a few clothes and two mechanical pens for the two of them. He did not get the chance to buy it the day before. Lev was struck with awe when he received the pen. He looked at the pen as if it was a ticket to another universe. He glomped Yaku out of habit and they feel onto the ground, with Yaku's back covered in dirt. Yaku did not feel annoyed for some reasons. He liked the cordial feeling he felt whenever Lev was ecstatic. Lev was already a cheery person, but for some reasons, Yaku wanted to see him as an even happier person. 

Travelling by foot was tiring, especially in a such a heated weather. They had left the harbor three hours ago. At the moment, they were walking in a land that seemed like a forest, but with scattered trees. None of them brought a map along with them so it was hard to tell where they were even heading. Yaku was originally planning to head to the Wakatoshi Farm. It was known by the whole kingdom for being the largest cultivating farm and it’s fresh and healthy organic products which was sold even to the royalties. That was Yaku’s plan, but it was ruined when Lev started chasing after a grey stray cat. He said that grey cats brought good luck and could bring you to your destined place. Yaku did not even believe in superstitions, but he couldn’t let Lev wander off to nowhere on his own. The cat got frightened by Lev’s height and ran off to somewhere. That led them to end up in the middle of a forest-like place.

They went astray and were trying to find their way to a town or any civilization nearby. The heat radiated even more as the time passed by. Lev was too distracted to feel the heat. There were leaf monkeys on some of the trees. Their faces looked as if two eyes and a mouth were glued onto a fur ball. Some were black and some were orange. They were all staring at Yaku and Lev as they walked past each trees. The baby monkeys clung onto their moms. Lev could reach them easily if he jumped with his height. He was inspecting every single monkey on his way. Yaku felt unsafe. He thought if Lev did something that seemed like harm to one of the monkeys, a whole horde of them would come running at them. They were basically surrounded, so in that scenario they would have nowhere to run.

Unfortunately, that scenario was likely to happen.

Lev spotted a leaf monkey that was unique from the others. Its whole body was grey expect for its belly and the top of its head, which were white. Lev turned to Yaku and pointed his index finger at the monkey, “Yaku-saan, can you draw that one for me?”

“What? How do you know?”

“I looked through your book while you were knocked out! Oh wait! Was I not supposed to? PLEASE FORGIVE ME I DIDN-”

“It’s okay. But Lev, you really should stop pointing.”

The monkey was widening its mouth, which revealed its sharp upper canines. When Lev’s eyes met the monkey, he shrieked and hid himself behind Yaku. The monkey started hopping up and down and making aggressive sounds. The other monkeys started joining and the whole forest soon filled with noisy tantrums. An orange monkey jumped off of a tree, aiming at Yaku. He squeezed his eyes, but instead of scratches or bites, he heard a _thud!_ A hard covered novel book hit the monkeys head in midair. It was Lev’s favorite novel. It caused a concussion for the monkey and it fell onto the ground. That caused the other monkeys to fire up. The forest filled with even noisier screeching.

Before any monkeys could attack them, Lev picked up Yaku onto his shoulder and ran off to the opposite direction. The screeches became even wilder. Most of the horde were at their tails, aggressively trying to reach them. There were some monkeys that tried to jump onto them as they ran. Yaku was fond of animals, but it wasn’t the time to empathize for them. He had no other choice than to hit them with his bag. They would be dead meat if they were caught. In their escape, they realized that they weren’t even aware of the expanse of the forest when they had entered. It seemed like it would take forever to get out of the forest.

Two monkeys charged at them. Yaku was able to hit one of them. Just when the other one was about to bite his arm, it was hit by a tree branch. Yaku’s bag felt heavier. The black monkey he thought that fell onto the ground was clinging onto the strap of his bag. Just then, a red monkey came charging at them from the front. Yaku yanked his bag at that monkey. The red monkey was struck by the black one as it was clinging tightly onto the leather strap torn off the bag. While Yaku was clearing the monkeys charging at them, a baby leaf monkey landed on Lev’s face. Lev’s vision was obscured and he tripped over a tree root in front of him. They fell over onto the ground. Yaku caught the monkey in his hand, but the impact of the fall had slightly caused a pain on its belly. The baby leaf monkey started whimpering. The whimpers of the monkey reached out to several others of its kind. Out of reach for help, the worst case scenario had happened right in front of Yaku’s eyes. They were completely surrounded by wild monkeys in all directions and above as well.

“ _Now_ , we’re dead!”, Yaku thought.


End file.
